


A Child's Nightmare

by babyash



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Love, Multi, POV Child, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Rape, Romance, Undertale AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyash/pseuds/babyash
Summary: What happens when a daycare teacher and a security guard adopt a frail girl? Find out.
Relationships: Raelyn(OC)/Wesley(OC), Wish(OC)/Sera(OC)
Kudos: 6
Collections: Undertale





	1. Wesley

Walking down the hallway, no one couldn’t tell whether or not there was anyone there… No one could see the painted walls, a large rainbow leading down to a large red door. It was dark, and the only thing the night guard could see was whatever he pointed his flashlight at. 

His shift started at 10… It was 12:38… He couldn’t wait for it to be done and over with. Nothing happened here. The only reason he had his job was to keep petty thieves from stealing from this innocent place… Or so he thought. 

It was 12:43 when there was a knock at the front door, south of where he was at. It was soft, gentle. Not like a normal adult… 

The night guard stood from his chair at the end of the hallway, slowly ran his hand through his dirty-blonde hair, and began walking. Quickly. The knock came once again, 30 seconds later. Once the guard made it to the door, he opened the viewer, looking outside for whoever was out there… But he couldn’t see anything. 

“D-D-Down here…” A small voice said. It was trembling, clearly terrified… It sounded like a….

The guard swung the door open and looked down. There stood a small skeleton, shaking and crying. Blood was trickling down from their mouth. Their eyes wide, filled with fear. They looked like a girl… Frail and scared. 

“H-Help me…” She said as she collapsed into his leg. He immediately bent down, eyes wide with fear as he lifted her frail body up. She was wearing a purple jacket, fluffed out like a cloud at the hood. Her mouth was spilling blood with every word she spoke. 

“H-Help me…” She said, looking up at him, exhausted. “M-Mama hurt me… M-Mama is gone now…”

The night guard gasped. He set her down on the hardwood floor, taking his jacket off. It was raining out, and her whole body was covered in the cold water. He wrapped his jacket around the frail child. He didn’t care if he had to clean it when he got home, he just needed to help her. 

“What do you mean…?” He said as he lifted the child up, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. “What do you mean your mama is gone…?”

She coughed harshly, blood spilling out over his blue shirt. He didn’t care. He watched her as he unlocked his phone, dialing 9-1-1 quickly. He paused momentarily, giving the little girl time to speak. 

“I-I… I’m tired…” She said, getting weaker and weaker by the moment. The night guard gasped and began running. He ran out the door, on his way to the closest hospital. 

“No, no, no honey,” He said, his eyes wide with terror. “No, don’t go to sleep. Stay awake baby.”

But he could tell she was fading. She was a skeleton, so seeing her bleed must’ve meant she’s been through terrible trauma… The Daycare was thankfully near the children’s hospital, so they might be able to help her.

“G-G’night… M-Mister…” She began closing her eyes and he panicked, running faster. He could see the hospital building in the distance, the emergency entrance sign glowing bright red. 

A nurse who was outside noticed the night guard. He felt relieved and ran faster to make it to her. The nurse stared at them momentarily, her eyes wide, before turning and running back inside. Once the night guard was to the doors, they swung open. A gurney was pushed in front of him as he laid her down, the blood lessening but still bleeding. 

And yet, even though he could’ve left that child right there. Let the doctor’s fix her then send her home… He didn’t. He walked with the gurney, stayed in the lobby room, and paced outside her door until his phone rang early the next morning.


	2. Raelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Raelyn, a kind heated daycare worker in love with a scruffy security guard. How will she react when he asks her to raise an orphan girl with him?

It was still dark out by the time the caretaker woke up. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed. She was groggy. It was about 4 AM… She knew she had to get to the daycare to get it ready for the day. 

She picked her phone up off the mahogany night stand and looked out the window next to her bed. She then glanced down at her phone and gasped. 

29 missed calls from Wess… How? Did something happen while she was asleep??? 

She panicked and unlocked her phone, quickly dialing his number before hitting call. 

One… Two… Three… Four rings… She was starting to get nervous until…

“Rae???” Wess’s deep, raspy voice rang out through the speaker of the phone. Rae let out a sigh of relief before speaking.

“Wesley what happened???” She said loudly, her voice dripping with terror and panic. “Did something happen to the daycare??? Is everything okay???”

“Raelyn, Raelyn…” He said, his voice calming her down little by little. “Raelyn, the daycare is fine, but-”

“Then why did you call me a thousand times over??? To give me a goddamn heart attack??” She said, sounding slightly irritated but still concerned nonetheless. Wess let out an annoyed sigh. 

“Let me finish, Rae. Last night, this little girl showed up on the doorstep…”

“YOU CALLED ME 29 TIMES FOR A LOST LITTLE GIRL?!?!”

“LET ME FINISH, RAELYN!” He let out a sigh and apologized to someone on the other end before picking up the conversation. “She isn’t just any lost little girl. She was bleeding everywhere, said her mama hurt her.”

“Her… So… She’s a DV child…” Rae let out a deep sigh after she said that. She held her head a little.

“She’s a murder child… The authorities went to her home and found her dad, brother and her mom dead on the ground. The story she told is… gruesome…” Wess’s voice was getting shaky. He was getting nervous and upset… 

“What happened, Wess?” Rae’s voice was calm, comforting to Wesley. The voice he loved to hear speak to the children. 

Wess paused, and this gave Rae the time to set her phone on her kitchen counter on speaker as she began to prep for her day at work. 

“Her mother… Her mother lost it. Beat the shit out of her brother…” Wess said, his voice shaky and quiet. “He died… And when he stopped crying, her mom turned on her… Beating her mercilessly until her father pulled her off. Her mother… She… The little girl said her mom and dad fought for a while until her dad stopped responding… Her mother then killed herself…”

Rae had frozen in place, staring at the phone with wide eyes. She had a pair of eggs on a skittle, cooking. But she couldn’t focus on that now…

“Holy shit…” Was the only thing she could manage to say. She was in shock. This all happened… To a little girl… In one night…

“I’ve been with her at the hospital all night. The doctors say she might live… But if she does, she'll be very ill for the rest of her life…” He sounded like he was about to cry, then there was a whimper in the background. “Hey hey… It’s okay little one…”

“Do you even know her name…?” Rae dropped the eggs on a plate, pulling a sandwich out of her metal fridge. 

“I’ve been informed it’s Seraphim… She’s only about 3… Poor baby…” Hearing Wess speak like this made the hairs on Rae’s neck stand up. It gave her goosebumps…

“Is she human or…?” Rae didn’t like saying “monster”. It was a racist term to describe a non-human creature who could think and act like any other person.

“Monster… Skeleton, actually. Like you.” Rae smiled. That means Rae could relate to her… But… Wait…

“Did they check her soul?” She said, placing food into a chilled lunchbox. “Did they have the monster specialist come? Do I need to go over there and-?”

“Raelyn no. They had the specialist come in an hour ago. Her soul is cracked, falling apart.”

“Is that why…?” She sounded hopeful, like maybe it wasn’t like she thought it would be. 

“Yes. That’s why she will always be ill… She might just die.”

“Do we know who will be taking care of her?”

There was a long pause after that question. Wess sighed and there was a little bit of shuffling. Rae grew concerned, frowning at the phone as she swung into her car, placing her bags in the passenger seat. 

“Wesley? Who’s going to take care of her?”

“Me.”

Rae choked and slammed on the breaks as she stared back. She was trying to back out of her driveway.  
“YOU WHAT?!”

Rae was shocked. She knew Wess was a big fan of any kid… But taking care of an orphan like that? On his salary? 

“The authorities said that with my income, I could take her in if I got you to help me…”

Rae sighed and backed out, properly this time, of her driveway. She began driving down her street until she made it to the main road. 

“Has she been released yet…?” Rae asked, looking around. She needed to know where she’s going to be going. Quell could take over her shift for today, and I know Kei wanted to graduate from infant care to the actual kids…

“Not quite… They think she’ll be released here soon… But that all depends on if she gets better…”

“Where’s she gonna live…? You literally live in the daycare…” Rae turned left, towards the daycare. 

“With me… I thought she could sleep while I work, then during the day we could just enroll her in the daycare…” Wess sounded hopeful… It means he through she would say no. And Rae almost did. She thought this was ridiculous, she didn't think it would work. This child would cost her and Wess a lot of money… 

“Okay… We’ll take care of her…” Rae said in one breath. Wess sighed in relief on the other end.

“Thank you, Raelyn!” He said happily. 

“It’s not a problem… Do I need to come to the hospital first…?” She pulled into the empty daycare parking lot, the building design making her grin. She loved how it was. Windows on most of the walls so you could see the small playground equipment sitting in the main playroom, the big red double doors that lead into the lobby had a large rainbow painting above it, only halfway full with past kids’ handprints. It was just an idea proposed by one of our interns. It was a wonderful idea, and that intern ended up working here. 

“No, go get the daycare ready for the day. I’ll take care of her over here. When she’s done I’ll head right home.”

“Alright… If you’re sure… Just… Call me when you need a ride back…?” Rae pulled the keys out of the ignition, opening the door as she swung her legs out, holding the phone up to her ear now. 

“I will. Thank you, Raelyn.”


	3. Raelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to see Raelyn at her work, meet some of the kids, and learn a little more about our main character.

Daylight shone through the windows of the play area. Kids were finally arriving, waiting outside the playroom’s orange doors. Most were human, boys and girls bouncing happily outside the door. 

“Did all of you put your stuff in the cubbies?” Rae called out as she shimmied through the group of children. 

“Yes miss Raelyn!!” She heard all the voices call out. Not at once, but she could understand them. She found them totally adorable. She unlocked the playroom door and swung it wide open. The kids wasted no time in running, cheering and giggling amongst one another. 

Rae smiled and watched, looking inside momentarily. She locked eyes with Kelsey, one of the other teachers. She was a beautiful girl, human. Her hair was thick and brown, falling gently down to her waist. It was almost always up in a ponytail, but when it came to the kids she always kept it down. The girls loved to braid it and put it up in weird ways. But Kelsey always said she didn't mind one bit. 

Kelsey nodded at Rae, letting her know she had everything under control. Rae nodded and walked away from the door, a door stopper keeping it propped open. Rae walked down one of the more dark halls, illuminated only by fake lights. Rae didn’t like it, and was so happy that the kids spent the days where natural light was. 

She looked to the left, where the doors stopped. There were cubbies, painted with different colors. Every year we got a new set of cubbies from the high school a few blocks away. They had a woodshop class and every year their end-of-the-year project was to build a set of cubbies. So every year, when the new kids come in, we let them paint their cubbie whatever color they like. They enjoyed it, it made them their own little space they could personalize. 

Rae walked down the line of cubbies, looking inside of them. Making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. Ivory, Matthew, Demi, Portia…The names went on as she looked through the cubbies. And then she stopped, looking at a bright pink and purple cubby, decked in sloppily painted kittens and emoji stickers. 

“Quera???” Rae called out down the hall. She didn’t see anything in this cubby. No bag, no jacket, no change of clothes… Nothing. 

“Yes???” She heard the sweet voice of her receptionist calling down from the lobby.

“Did Grace check-in today??? I don’t see any of her stuff… Again.”

“Hold on!” There was some rustling of paper before Quera sighed. “Yes, she’s checked in. Checked in by Grill…”

Rae sighed reluctantly and walked into the playroom, looking around. 

“Grace???” She called out, walking between kids and around toys. 

There was no answer for a while, and Kelsey looked concerned. But she couldn't exactly help out, there were already a few girls playing with her hair.

“Grace, honey, I know you’re here!!” Rae called out. She heard a whimper from a corner and immediately glanced that way. There was a pile of pillows piled up in one of the darker corners of the room. Rae frowned and pulled one of the pillows off. 

There she was. The little skeleton with the cat hoodie. She was hugging a pillow close to her chest as she looked up at me, her eyes wide. 

She sighed and kneeled down, holding a hand out to her. I knew she would be like this… She’s always like this. For the last two years, every year Rae taught her, she hid away in a corner to avoid talking to anybody… And when someone would try to talk to her, she’d completely freak out… I don’t know if it’s because of something at home or what. 

“C’mon… Let’s go. It’s almost breakfast time.” She said, inching closer to her slowly but surely. 

She looked at Rae and quickly shook her head, whimpering.

“I don wanna…” She said, hugging the pillow tighter. Rae sighed and leaned down, picking her up gently.

“You need to eat something. Let’s go, okay? You can sit with me.”

Grace looked up at Rae as she began walking and nodded, her grip on the pillow loosening. She seemed to relax a little more. 

Rae smiled a little bit and set her at the head of a long, brown table. The table had a large piece of paper over it like a tablecloth, place settings at every seat. A cup, a paper plate, a pair of plastic silverware, and a napkin. 

We had a rule with breakfast… No one was to leave the table until everyone was finished. So we also set out cups of crayons so the kids could draw on the tablecloth. They enjoyed it, a lot of them playing menial games like tic-tac-toe or drawing fun doodles.

Grace sat in my large chair, swinging her legs as she stared at the table. Rae smiled and turned, walking to the play area to yell out that breakfast was ready. Until…

“Raelyn!!!” She heard Quera yell out from the front desk. She sighed and walked out the door and down the hallway, into the lobby. 

There she saw Quera talking calmly to a small skeleton child… He was dawned in a dark gray t-shirt and black pants. I walked over and looked at Quera.

“What is it?” Rae asked, looking between Quera and the small kid. Quera sighed and stood up all the way, looking Rae in the eyes. 

“Says he’s supposed to be here… That his mom was late to work and just dropped him off.” Quera seemed very unsure of what to do with him.   
Rae leaned down so she was level with him and smiled.

“Hey. So what’s your name?”

The little boy answered with no hesitation, smiling a little. 

“Wish.” He said, tugging his red backpack straps closer to him. “Wish Gaster.”

Gaster… She knew that last name. It was common amongst the skeletons she takes care of. But she looked this little skeleton up and down and knew who he was. An old family friend.

“I know who you are!” Rae giggled a little and hugged the small boy. He hesitated but wrapped his arms around her. 

“Yeah, I just told you…” He said as she pulled away from him. She laughed a little more.

“I’ve known you since you were born! Your mom is a close friend of mine!” She smiled and nodded to Quera. “Get him signed in.”

Quera just nodded and went back behind the desk as Rae led Wish down the hall to the cubbies.

“How do you know my mom?” Wish said as the pair walked. Rae smiled a little more. 

“We were in high school together. We were good friends for a while.” Rae paused at a blank, empty cubby with no name on it. “Since you’re new, you get this one.”

Wish tilted his head and placed his backpack inside the cubby, taking his jacket off as he spoke. “Why is it so blank when the others are so… Colorful.”

“You get to decorate it during art time if you like.” Rae patted his back a little and turned him to the open double doors leading into the play area. “Go on ahead. Breakfast is starting soon so you have a little bit to play.”

Wish gulped and nodded, slowly walking inside the play area. 

Rae watched him for a little while, wondering what will become of this new year.


	4. Versa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet some of the kids Raelyn teaches. Who knows, they might become some big characters

“GIVE IT BACK!!!” 

The screech was loud enough to be heard from almost every section of the play area. Versa stood up, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached for her stuffie. 

“And why should I, crybaby?” He was much taller than her and had this malicious smirk on his face, almost like he enjoyed seeing her like this. His body would glitch from time to time, but that only made him scarier… At least, that’s what Versa thought…

“ERROR GIVE IT BACK!!!” Her yelling was hurting his ears as his smirk wavered, turning into a frown as he glared at her. She pulled her arm back to her chest and gulped a little, looking up at Error now completely terrified, welled up tears falling helplessly down her cheeks.

He used his free hand to push her down to the ground. She whimpered and looked up at him. He still held the stuffie high above her head.

“Make me, brat.”

He was always so cruel to her… She never knew why. She didn’t know if she ever wanted to know why. 

She whimpered more and curled up in a ball as Error loomed over her, his glitching body almost twice the size of hers. She began shaking.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her back. Versa quickly lifted her head and looked back at her. A strange skeleton stood behind her, glaring at Error. His body was so weird yet intriguing… Half of it was covered in color, rainbows covering his sweatshirt. The other half was completely solid… monotone almost. 

“Look, buddy.” The weird skeleton said, his voice sounding like an overlap of two different voices… One high pitched and giggly, the other monotone and deep… “Just give her the bear, and we won’t have any problems.”

Error stood to his full height once more. He also towered over the strange skeleton.

“Problems?” Error laughed. “And why would I have any pr-pr-problems with you?”

“I’m going to ask you nicely once again.” The strange skeleton said, looking up at Error, a dead serious frown dawned his face. “Give it back to her. Please.”

Error scoffed down at the strange skeleton, shaking his head rapidly with a smirk. “Like hell.”

The strange skeleton sighed. It seemed like he almost didn’t even want to do anything with Error. He tried so hard to avoid any more conflict.

“Fine.” The strange skeleton rushed forward. To Versa’s surprise, it didn’t seem like he was going to hurt Error. But it must’ve looked that way to Error. 

Error dropped the bear and, in response to the strange skeleton’s lunge, he shoved him to the ground. The strange skeleton smirked and winked at me as he fell. He grabbed a bin of toys from a shelf as he fell, causing a loud clatter the moment he hit the ground.

Everything went silent as everyone turned to look at us. The strange skeleton took this moment to shine. He began fake crying, and loudly. It was believable… 

It didn’t take long for one of the teachers to walk up to the situation, arms crossed. She had long brown hair all the way to her lower back. Her name? Miss Rose. Though Miss Rae calls her Kelsey.

“What’s going on here?” Ms. Rose frowned and looked at the three of us. The strange skeleton was still fake crying, though it had lessened now. He sniffled a little, whimpering slightly.

“I… I just wanted to get the bear back for little miss…” The strange skeleton pointed to Versa, and her eyes widened.   
Miss Rose then turned to Versa, looking down at her.

“What happened, Versa?” She asked, her eyes softening.

Versa whimpered and looked up at Miss Rose, shaking a little.

“E-Error was making fun of me… H-He took my stuffie and wouldn’t give it back… T-then this guy tried helping a-and…”

She paused, looking between Error and the strange skeleton. Error growled and glared at her, which scared her to the bone. The strange skeleton smiled at her, though faintly.

“And?” Miss Rose frowned a little at her. Versa gulps and holds her arm a little

“A-And E-Error got mad and pushed me, t-then attacked him…” She looked down, flinching when she heard Error yell.

“T-T-THA-A-AT’S NOT TRUE-UE-UE-UE YOU LIAR-R-R-R!!” Error was livid, and that terrified Versa. 

Kelsey turned her attention to Error and glared, grabbing his arm.

“Alright, let’s go and think about this.” She then pulled Error away, him spouting curses and insults our way.

The strange skeleton smiled and stood up, reaching down to the ground, seemingly grabbing something before holding the stuffed bear out to Versa.

“C’mon, little lady. I didn’t go through all that trouble for nothing.” He smiled and watched as she took the bear, hugging it tightly to her chest.

“T-thank you…” Versa gulped a little, looking up at the strange skeleton. “W-what’s your name…?”

“Newt! And yours, little miss?” He said, his eyes bright with curiosity. 

“Versa…” She smiled faintly in return.

“Well, little lady Versa, wanna play with me?” Newt grinned ear to ear as he said those words, holding his hand out to the timid skeleton girl. Versa nodded carefully, taking his hand gently.

A beautiful friendship blossomed over a stuffed bear, and everyone was none-the-wiser.


	5. Wesley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to little Seraphim? Will she ever be okay?

Sera was sound asleep. It took the doctors ten whole minutes to finally get a sedative in her… Ten minutes to finally get her to calm down...

She woke up about an hour ago and screamed. Yelled about what happened to her family. Cried. 

Yet the whole time, he held her hand and she didn’t let go. It pained Wesley to watch her suffer this way… He just wanted to wrap her up in a tight hug and never let her go. 

Wesley must’ve looked like an idiot. He was staring at the white wall across from Sera’s bed, deep in thought but also half asleep. He hadn’t slept since about this time yesterday… And he didn’t mind. He loved kids and wanted to help.

Suddenly the room’s door flew open, causing Wesley to jump. He nearly fell out of his chair, but grabbed the railing of Sera’s bed. 

The doctor looked at him and sighed, walking over. 

“Wesley, you need sleep.” The doctor said, pulling a chair up to a computer.

“When she’s all better, I will.” Wesley turned to the doctor, the dark circles under his eyes darker than normal. 

The doctor sighed and signed into the computer, pulling up some magic scans of her body.

“We’ve already been over this… She has almost no magic running through her body like most skeletons. All her magic, what little is left, is stored purely in her soul. If she is to continue living, she will be living with constant illnesses and issues. She would have a hard life.” The doctor then turned to a picture of her soul.

The gray mass of magic was shaped like a heart like most other souls. But you could almost barely tell what shape her soul was…. It was chipped and cracked, large chunks of it gone. It’s unlike Wesley had ever seen before. 

“We have the medication she would need, and you can take her home whenever she wakes up.” The doctor turned back to Wesley, a frown on his face. “What I really want to know is… Are you totally willing to take her in? She will constantly need you until we find a cure.”

Wesley could feel Sera’s grip on his hand tighten. She was awake and she was scared. Scared of how Wess would answer. 

Wesley looked at the doctor, his eyes shining with pure determination. 

“Of course I’m sure, doc.” Wesley said, squeezing Sera’s hand gently. He felt her relax. “Sure, I’ve only known her for less than twelve hours. But I look at this frail little girl and I know she will amount to something more than another sick statistic.”

The doctor’s eyes had widened. The doctor nodded slowly, handing Wesley a packet of papers and a pill bottle. 

“These are the DT pills she has to take every day. She needs them whenever she has an attack like she’s been having, but she also needs one with every meal.” The doctor smiled a little. “I can tell she’s ready to go. You can leave whenever you feel ready. This prescription can be refilled at most pharmacies.”

Wesley sighed in relief and nodded. The doctor patted Wesley’s shoulder, smiling a little before leaving the room.

Wesley turned his attention to Sera. He spun his body to look down into the bed. Sera laid there, staring up at him. Her eyes don’t look as dead as they did before, which relieved Wesley.

“Hey kid…” He said, reaching into the bed to help her up. She took his hand and used it to pull herself up, shaking the entire time. “How’re ya feeling…?”

Sera smiled a little and nodded, hugging Wesley’s arm gently.

“I wanna leave…” Sera said, her voice quiet and hoarse. 

Wesley smiled a little and reached both arms inside, wrapping his arms around her sides as he picked her up.

“Well let’s go then,” Wess said. “I’ll take care of you.”

Sera tilted her head at Wesley. She seemed a little confused. 

“Take care of me?” She asked, shaking still as Wess rested her on his hip. 

Wess nodded in response to her question, smiling a little as he gathered his things. He frowned momentarily at the ground, searching his mind for the proper words to describe it to her…

“I’m going to make sure you aren’t hungry, that you have a warm place to sleep at night.” As he spoke, he noticed Sera leaning more and more onto him, seeming to relax little by little. “I’ll give you clothes and a place to study. I’ll be there for you when you need me.”

Sera wasn’t shaking very much anymore. The two of them were already walking down the long hospital hallway. She was smiling instead, her head completely rested on Wess.

Wess wasn’t holding much, just a bag of medications and Sera. So he moved her a little, which stirred her from her daze. He rested her instead on his arm, so she could properly rest on his shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind the change very much, almost instantly moving her head to his shoulder. He smiled and just walked.

It didn’t take them long to make it to the lobby. Wess didn’t take the time to look around at the decor, though he was getting a little tired of the white. It was almost everywhere.

They walked out of the double sliding glass doors, Sera waving a small goodbye to one of the nurses. Wess smiled and stood outside the doors after they closed, looking around. He then realized he hadn’t taken his car here and felt a ping of panic.

Wess knew he could walk back to the daycare. He knew it wasn’t that far away. But he was so fatigued. He didn’t know how long he would make it before passing out. So, instead, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and began dialing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae's feelings for Wess are starting to make her life a little hard...

Rae had finally gotten the kids settled down at the breakfast table. It took some effort, but now everyone was just waiting to be served their plates. Rae was up and handing children their plates carefully. 

Rae refused to give kids their food unless they asked nicely. Using “please” and “thank you” wasn’t common practice in some of the kids’ homes (she really could tell that much just from the first day), but she had these kids for 6 hours a day, maybe more. She would make that time count. And most of the time the kids were happy to oblige. 

She had just set down the final plate in her arms in front of a small girl, who happily mumbled her “thank you” when suddenly her phone started buzzing in her back pocket. Rae frowned and nodded to Kelsey, who gladly took over for her as Rae stepped out to answer her phone. 

Incoming Call… Wesley Smith

She answered it almost instantly. She didn’t hear much on the other end of the line, just some breathing. 

“Wess?” She asked, her voice dripping with concern.

“Right here… Sorry.” Wess said. He sounded full-on exhausted. Rae wasn’t surprised. 

“Hey… What’s up? Is she okay?” Rae paced in the hall outside, a bad habit she’s always had. Pacing was calming to her. 

“She’s okay. She’s gonna be really sick for her whole life but that’s something we can handle together, right?” Rae smiled a little, blushing gently. 

“Y-Yeah, of course. So… What do you need then?” Rae wanted to stay on the phone as long as she could with him. She missed seeing him this morning, bringing him his normal cup of coffee and toast with extra butter. 

“A ride back to the daycare if you aren’t busy…” He sighed on the other end. “I’m so exhausted… I know I won’t make it on foot without passing out… I would really appreciate a ride… Rae? Are you there?”

While he was talking, Rae was already gathering her stuff. She had her keys in her hand and she was grabbing a blanket and her purse. Quera looked up from the front desk and looked slightly confused. Rae just shrugged and used sign language to spell “Wess”. Quera smiled and nodded, going back to her work. 

“I’m right here Wess. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just wait for me.” She sighed as she unlocked her car, pressing the button from afar. She walked up to it as she heard Wess sigh in relief. 

“Thank you, Raelyn… You’re a saint…”

“Don’t mention it… Just promise me we won’t be taking in any more orphan children.” Rae was mostly kidding, but she knew, because of her and Wess’s incomes, they probably won’t even be able to support the one child. 

Wess let out a long, exhausted laugh. He knew she was kidding. 

“Sure Rae… Whatever you want.” He seemed happier now. Rae started up her car, backing out of her parking spot with a small smile. The hospital wasn’t that far anyway. 

She hung up the phone as she started driving, whispering “I love you” afterward. She knew he would never hear her, and he was probably too concerned about the small skeleton to care… But really, she did. In so many ways she did. 

It was difficult to explain her feelings for Wesley. She wanted to be with him, hear him whisper sweet nothings in her ear as he held her. She knew that would never happen, but now with this small girl, he would have to spend more time with her. Maybe she could finally convince him to move in with her. She didn’t like that he always slept in a spare room in the daycare. 

There were a few times where she almost got to tell him how she felt… Just a few. The select few times they were alone together, making cookies for the kids or cleaning the daycare. She just wanted to run into his arms and kiss him. But she wouldn’t do that to him… She didn’t even think he liked her back… 

Tears welled up in her eyes as she drove, focusing back on the road. She avoided thinking about this kind of thing. It just made her feel… Hurt. Depressed maybe. Without Wess, she would be alone… She WAS alone… 

She shook her head, blinking the tears away. She drove up to the hospital, seeing Wess. He was holding a very small bundle. If Rae didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought the child was an infant. 

She pulled up next to Wess and smiled as he got in her car. Rae stayed stopped for a moment, looking down at the frail child. Sera was awake, but Rae could sense she was in pain. Sera’s eyes were shut tight, but her body was shaking. Rae gently touched the girl’s skull and gasped. She felt the grooves of a cracked skull. 

Sera’s eyes opened and she looked at Rae. Rae smiled a little to try and calm Sera, and it seemed to work a little. 

Rae saw Wess smile a little, watching the pair carefully. Rae smiled at him before starting to drive again. 

“You two will get along…” Wess said. Rae saw Wess hug Sera closer to him, holding her as if she could fall any second. 

“I hope so… We’ll kinda have to.” Rae chuckled a little, turning onto the main street. “Are you guys hungry?”

Rae looked over at the pair momentarily. Sera was nodding quickly, her eyes no staring into Rae’s. Rae was fascinated by this child’s eyes. All gray… Curious. 

Wess shrugged but looked down at Sera. “I guess I could eat.” He said, smiling a little. Rae nodded and took a careful left turn, turning into the main town. Because it was a weekday, not many people were out and about. 

“What do you guys want? A proper breakfast?” Rae slowed down, looking at all the different small restaurants they were passing. She saw Sera’s head tilt in confusion. Rae smiled and pulled in front of a cafe, putting the car in park. “C’mon guys.”

Wess tilted his head as well, which made Rae chuckle. She unbuckled herself and stepped out of the car, brushing off her daycare uniform carefully. Rae watched as Wess stepped out, holding Sera to his chest carefully. 

The group walked towards the door, Rae holding the door open for the pair. Wess muttered thanks before going inside, Sera watching her surroundings curiously. Rae smiled and tugged Wess into a booth, the group sitting together. The entire restaurant looked like a classic breakfast cafe. 

It didn’t take long for a waitress to hand them menus and get the drink orders. Sera got a kid’s water, while Rae and Wess got sodas. 

Rae smiled at the odd pairing, watching as Wess and Sera messed with one another. It was a good start to a good day.


	7. Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wish meets a little skeleton by the name of Grace, but she's a little shy... How will this work out?

No one questioned where Rae went. Breakfast began as normal, the kids chatting amongst themselves. Many kids had a banana or something, but Grace sat with a very small bowl of cereal. She didn’t seem to want to speak to anyone else as she gingerly took bites of her food. 

No one bothered to sit next to her. She was thankful for that. Though, the few times she looked up at the group, she noticed a small skeleton boy staring at her. His eyes shined with curiosity, which made Grace a little uncomfortable. 

She kept her eyes trailed on her food. By the time she was finished, most of the kids had stood up to go play. Grace pushed her bowl away and slipped out of the big chair, crawling her way back to the reading nook. 

She loved this part of the playroom. It was nice and cozy, covered in pillows and stuffed animals. She could bury herself in the pillows and ignore the other kids. 

She found the coziest pillow she could and just laid back on it, staring at the ceiling. She wiggled her feet, smiling a little bit. She was alone, and it felt nice. 

That was until that skeleton walked up to her. 

He looked odd, his clothes were gray and red. He walked up to her like he wanted to ask her something, and Grace backed further against the wall, hugging a pillow to her chest. 

The strange skeleton seemed to notice how uncomfortable she was, and he hesitated for a moment. Grace hoped he would see the desperation in her eyes. She REALLY didn’t want to talk to anyone, much less a strange skeleton…

He kept walking, however, and after a moment stopped right in front of her. He leaned down and smiled a little.

“Ya know…” He said, the high pitched New-York accented voice sounding a little too baritone from what Grace has experienced. “You can’t get any better at something by just avoiding it.”

Grace didn’t say anything. She just stared up at him, hugging the pillow closer to her chest. She was sure he would notice her hands trembling as she gripped the soft object. 

The strange skeleton sighed a little and held his hand out to her. His eyes shone with sympathy, which made Grace feel a little bit better…

“I’m Wish.” He said, giving her the most gentle smile she’d ever seen. “You don’t have to tell me your name… But I’m gonna hang out with you if that’s okay.”

There was a long pause, and Wish pulled his hand back. He didn’t seem hurt that she didn’t shake his hand. Instead, he just moved to sit next to her. 

Grace scooted away ever so slightly, partially to get away from him, partially to give him space. She couldn’t help but be curious about him. He seemed so kind… 

He didn’t watch her like she thought he would. Instead, he stared out at the group of kids running around the large room, playing various games. His eyes were so weird to her… Completely gray. 

Wish turned to her after a moment, and Grace immediately averted her gaze somewhere else. Wish let out a sigh and just leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers against his knees that were tugged up to his chest. 

Grace tried to gain the courage to say something. She wanted to. But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She just sighed and looked down at the ground. Wish looked at her with concern. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, tilting his head a little. Grace let out another sigh and turned to look at him. 

“I-I’m Grace…” She said, her voice shaking. She was a little shocked at the words coming out of her mouth. Wish seemed surprised for a moment but smiled gently not even a mere moment after. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Grace!” Wish said, the enthusiasm leaking heavily into his voice. Grace nodded carefully but didn’t say anything more, hugging the pillow tighter to her chest.

There were another few moments of awkward silence before the pillows next to Grace shifted, indicating Wish was moving. Grace carefully pointed her gaze over to where he was sitting and saw him standing, looking at her with a small smile. 

“I know you’re a little scared…” He said, holding his hand out carefully. “But let’s go play together. I’ve been itching to try out the blocks over there.”

He stayed standing, looking at her with a small smile with his hand extended out. Grace paused and thought. She normally never left her pillows until she had to. No one talked to her, they all left her be. But this… Boy… 

Grace nodded a little bit, unsure. But she took his hand. He smiled brighter and pulled her up. Once she was on her feet, he pulled her over to a brightly lit corner of the room, where a tub of rainbow blocks sat. The entire time, he didn’t let go of her hand. And she didn’t know if she wanted him to, her smile prominent on her face.


	8. Raelyn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rae takes Wess to get his stuff and runs into Wish, who watches Sera experience her first soul attack

By the time Rae and Wess arrived at the daycare, it was already the early afternoon, around 2:00. Most of the daycare’s daily activities had been completed, and the kids were now playing amongst themselves, waiting for their parents to come to pick them up. 

Wess and Rae should have come straight back, but they had to run to the pharmacy, the clothing store, the grocery store. All the places they needed to go before they brought Sera into their home. 

“Wesley, if you’re going to help take care of her you need to be in a proper home,” Rae said as she pulled into the parking lot. Sera was fast asleep on Wess’ chest, which Rae found was one of the most adorable things she had ever seen. 

“Rae… I can’t put you through the stress of having me with you. That’s too many mouths to feed.” Wess said. Rae had to admit, he had a point. But she wouldn’t give up that easily. 

“I have a spare room I use for an office. We can move the desk and filing cabinets into the empty corner in my room and Sera could sleep in there.” Rae was racking her brain for solutions to this dilemma. This was an argument Rae and Wess had at least once a month, except this time they had a child to think of too.

“And where will I sleep, Raelyn?” Wess said as Rae pulled into a parking spot carefully. Rae sighed and rolled her eyes a little. 

“You could be in there with her, or you could sleep in my room…” Rae tried her hardest to hide the blush that wanted to creep to her cheeks. She could feel the heat rising, but she did her best to keep her cool. 

“In your room?” Wess seemed to get a little more nervous after hearing that. “Are you sure that’s appropriate?

“It’s the best chance we have…” Rae said slowly, gulping nervously. “A kid needs their own space and two parents. I can’t take care of her on my own.”

Wess sighed shakily and nodded slowly. He seemed to finally give in. After two years of having this argument with Rae, he finally had a reason to stay. 

“Fine. I’ll move in with you. For her.” He said quietly before placing a very soft kiss on Sera’s skull. Rae smiled a little and nodded, holding her arms out for Sera. 

“I’ll take her while you get your stuff packed up in my car. I’ll put Kei in charge for the rest of the day.” 

Wess slowly nodded, his bouncy, blonde hair almost mesmerizing. He slowly handed Rae Sera, watching the small child carefully. Rae gently cradled the frail girl, internally hoping she wouldn’t wake up. 

Luckily she didn’t. Wess and Rae quietly got out of the car. Rae used her free hand to toss Wess her keys, then she kept walking. Wess held the door open for her as she walked through the door. 

Quera looked up at the two of them for a moment, then let out a small gasp when she saw the small child in Rae’s hand. Wess put a finger to his lips, a way to shush her. Quera nodded her chubby, human features bouncing with the movement. 

Rae smiled a little and walked to the playroom. She could hear the kids from outside the door, which made her smile a little. Then she walked inside, looking around. Her eyes dashed to the kids’ normal hang out spots, and she was taken aback when she didn’t see Grace sitting at the reading area. 

Rae’s eyes dashed around silently, looking for Grace’s small figure. Then, after a moment, she saw Grace. She was… Playing with someone? That was definitely out of the ordinary. Rae watched curiously, and she saw Grace was playing with Wish, messing with a large block tower. The two were smiling and laughing happily, like children should 

Rae smiled carefully and walked over to the dining table. It was completely cleared of any food, so Rae sat carefully at the head of it, just watching. Kelsey seemed to have noticed her walking in and smiled carefully at Rae. She then turned back to the children playing with her hair, making large knots with the brush. Rae shook her head a little and smiled. 

Things were peaceful for a moment until the noise got to be too much, and Sera’s eyes flew open.

“M...Ms… Rae…?” The small child said sleepily. Sera moved her from a cradle to sitting facing Rae on her lap. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” Rae said, planting a gentle kiss on Sera’s forehead. Sera smiled a little bit before looking around. 

“Where…?” Sera tried to get out the rest of the sentence, but the drowsiness seemed to throw her into gibberish.

“We’re at my work, Hunny. Wess is getting his stuff and then we can take you home.” Rae smiled a little at her. Sera nodded a little, her eye drooping with exhaustion. 

Rae and Sera sat like that for a little while until someone tugged on Rae’s pant leg. Rae looked down to see Wish looking up to her, his head tilted a little to the right curiously. 

“Miss Raelyn, who is that?” Wish asked, his eyes shining with curiosity. Rae let out a quick sigh before smiling down at Wish. 

“Her name is Sera.” She said, turning Sera so she could see Wish. Sera looked down at him and tilted her head a little. Wish straightened up and smiled, bouncing a little on his heels. 

“Hello, Sera!” He said with the brightest smile. “My name is Wish!” 

Sera smiled a little and nodded slowly, carefully. Rae watched her carefully, and she noticed Sera’s hands begin to tremble. 

“Sera, are you feeling alright?” Rae asked, turning Sera back to look at her. Sera nodded slowly for a moment, then shook her head. Her hands were beginning to tremble more and more as she sat there. Rae wasn’t sure what was happening, but she was sure it wasn’t good. 

Then, suddenly, Sera collapsed in Rae’s chest. Sera’s breathing had suddenly become fast, Rae could tell she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Then Sera started crying, her whole body shaking. Rae closed her eyes for a moment, trying to connect with Sera’s soul to find out what was going on. All Rae could feel was immense pain coming from Sera. 

Sera was getting so loud that everyone was getting concerned, looking over at the pair. Rae stood up quickly and ran out the door, rummaging through her pocket for a moment, trying to find the DT pills. When she couldn’t find them, Rae began to panic. Wess was for sure gathering his stuff from his room upstairs, and Rae knew Sera couldn’t deal with much more movement.

“Ms. Rae.” A small voice said from below. “You dropped these on your run out.”

Rae looked down, her eyes full of panic. She saw Wish standing there, holding up the bottle of DT pills Wess had given her. Relief flooded through her body as Rae took the pills from the innocent skeleton. 

“T-Thank you.” Was all Rae could manage out as she struggled to open the bottle. Once she got it open, Rae pulled out one of the bright red pills and popped them into Sera’s mouth. 

Sera was taken aback for a moment. She didn’t seem to know what was going on. 

“Just swallow it, sweetie… You’ll feel better.” Rae said as she sat at one of the benches. Wish didn’t go away, he just sat right next to her and watched in concern. 

Sera nodded slowly and gulped it down. Her trembling slowly came to a stop. After a few minutes, Rae tried using her magic to connect with Sera’s soul again and found it was stabilizing. She wasn’t in too much pain now. Rae let out a long sigh of relief. 

That was when Wish tapped her shoulder gently. Rae turned to the boy while also watching to make sure Sera was okay. 

“What was that?” Wish asked. He seemed genuinely concerned, so Rae couldn’t help but answer in some way.

“Sera is… Sick.” Rae said simply, watching Sera. She had calmed down by now, her head resting carefully against Rae’s chest as she seemed to be trying to sleep. But Rae could tell she wasn’t sleeping, even if she looked like it. 

“What do you mean? How is she sick?” Wish asked, holding onto Rae’s arm a little bit. Rae sighed slightly, looking down at the curious skeleton. 

“She’s sick on the inside… Something we don’t know how to fix… And she won’t get better anytime soon.” Rae didn’t want to tell him everything. She wanted Sera to have the slightest chance of making friends. But Wish didn’t seem deterred. He just sighed, it sounded more concerned than anything. 

“Is there any way I can help?” He asked. Rae’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the little skeleton. 

“Actually… Yes.” Rae said, turning her gaze down to Sera. “You could be her friend. That’s all she needs from you.”

Wish tilted his head. Rae could see out of the corner of her eye him starting to smile brightly. He straightened up after a moment and nodded his head quickly. 

“I can do that!” Wish seemed ecstatic. He began bouncing slightly in his seat, smiling brightly up at Rae. Rae smiled a little and nodded. 

“Alright… Well…” Rae wanted to get him away so Wish wouldn’t have to see Sera suffer anymore. “Why don’t you go back inside? I bet Grace misses you and wants to play some more.”

Wish’s eyes widened and he nodded, jumping to his feet. 

“I’ll see you soon, Ms. Rae!” He called out as he jogged back inside the playroom and up to Grace, who had placed herself in the corner of the block area. 

Rae let out a relieved sigh. She gently rocked the resting Sera, who had positioned herself so Rae had to cradle her like a baby. 

Rae sat at the bench for a few moments, holding a resting Sera. Rae just needed to think. No one questioned her, everyone seemed to be focusing hard on their work.

Every time Rae had time alone to think, she managed to somehow think about Wess. That dumb boy… He was everything she thought about in her free time. 

She couldn’t help it. Her feelings for Wess seemed to just amplify with the arrival of Sera. She brought them together. 

Rae already loved Sera. Rae would’ve loved to show how much she cares for this small child, but Rae was afraid. She didn’t know what was going to happen now. They couldn’t stay at the apartment complex for too long, so she’d have to push for a raise. 

Whatever she ended up doing, she would stay and love this child. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would love Sera.


End file.
